About

$217,243

pledged of $100,000 goal

3,009

backers

It's time to create some exhibits. We've bumped our goal to $225K.

You pushed the Bears Ears Education passed $100k. Friends of Cedar Mesa can complete the purchase of the property. You sent us beyond $185k. That’s electricity and plumbing. We’ve got a building. We can renovate. That’s incredible.

Now it’s time to start funding the exhibits. Our goal with the education center has always been respectful visitation. This next round of funding will pay for the design, fabrication and audio visual components that will create the exhibits at the education center.

When the doors open, we will be ready to welcome people who want to learn about this incredible landscape, its history and its culture.

$185K Stretch Goal Ask

Bears Ears National Monument was reduced by 85 percent, so we are stretching our goal by 85 percent.

Let’s turn the lights on.

On December 4th, President Trump ordered that Bears Ears National Monument should be reduced by 85 percent. It was an undeniably bad day, but something special happened.

The community, people like you, responded. We hit our initial goal of $100k and then some to help purchase the Bears Ears Education Center. Outdoor brands have taken notice of the community’s passion and are donating directly to the cause.

When we started this, we weren’t sure whether we could even complete the purchase of the old bar in Bluff, Utah. Now, because of you and other large donors, Friends of Cedar Mesa can complete the purchase and go one step further -- start the renovation process. Before the doors can open, the building’s electricity and plumbing need to be updated. The interior needs to be built out. Exhibits created.

So we are stretching our goal to $185,000. Can you help turn the lights on in the Bears Ears Education Center?

Original Ask

Duct Tape Then Beer is running this grassroots campaign to raise $100K to contribute to creating a Bears Ears Education Center in Bluff, Utah. Josh Ewing, Bears Ears defender and Executive Director of the not-for-profit Friends of Cedar Mesa, is heading up the effort to purchase, create and staff this Center.

To buy the place, Friends of Cedar Mesa needs $310,000 by the end of 2017. Josh raised $230K almost immediately. We think that as a community we can raise $100,000 to help complete the purchase of the Bears Ears Education Center.

For the last year, visitors have flocked to the region to see one of the newest National Monuments. With increased visitation and recreational use, the best way to protect the cultural and ecological resources is to educate visitors and recreational users.

Any additional funding would go towards renovating, staffing and creation of the exhibits. Fundraising efforts will continue into 2018, but unless we close this gap by the end of the year, there won't be a place to create the visitor and education center.

Together as a community, we need to put our money and our time where our hashtags are. Together, let’s build something real.

A Sneak Peek

Friends of Cedar Mesa wants to purchase this former bar in Bluff, UT to be transformed into the Bears Ears Education Center.

Welcome!

The historic bar, soon to be an Education Center

The treasures of Bears Ears are endless.

Wide open mesas and slot canyons. Petroglyphs and splitter cracks.

Below, a few of the images available for prints at certain reward levels.

Risks and challenges

The capital campaign to create the Bears Ears Education Center is the largest fundraising effort Friends of Cedar Mesa has undertaken. However, we are optimistic donors and foundations will see the long-term value of preserving the unique cultural resources of Bears Ears and the importance of this embattled Monument.

Our first priority is to purchase and renovate the building. An unsuccessful campaign decreases the likelihood of purchasing the building. With strong initial support from the community, we believe we will attract additional donations needed to open and operate the Education Center in a timely manner.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 25 or more
About US$ 25

Warm Fuzzy Feeling

We guarantee a reward of the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with helping your community build something lasting and tangible. With our eternal thanks, you will also receive a digital supporter card to share socially.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 50 or more
About US$ 50

Small Name in the Education Center

Your name (or the name of someone you’d like to dedicate your pledge to) will be included at a small size on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the new Bears Ears Education Center. Larger donation amounts will increase your name size. As with all pledge amounts, you will receive the warm, fuzzy satisfaction of building something real for our community and a shareable digital supporter card.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 100 or more
About US$ 100

Medium Name in the Education Center

A pledge of $100 will increase the size of your name on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the new Bears Ears Education Center. Larger donation amounts will increase the size of your name. As with all pledge amounts, you will receive the warm, fuzzy satisfaction of building something real for our community and a shareable digital supporter card.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 250 or more
About US$ 250

Large Name in the Education Center

A pledge of $250 increases the size of your name on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the new Bears Ears Education Center to a large size. How big is large, you ask? We don’t know yet. It will depend on the number of donors we end up with. But rest assured that we will make the relative scale as large as we can. As with all pledge amounts, you will receive the warm, fuzzy satisfaction of building something real for our community and a shareable digital supporter card.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 500 or more
About US$ 500

Pretty Darn Large Name

A pledge of $500 increases the size of your name to Pretty Darn Large on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the new Bears Ears Education Center. As with all pledge amounts, you will receive the warm, fuzzy satisfaction of building something real for our community and a shareable digital supporter card.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

12 x 18 Photo Print + XL Name

For a pledge of $1000, you will receive a beautiful 12 x 18 print of an image from Bears Ears by a professional photographer. You will have a choice from a number of images and we will send you the print with our eternal thanks. This pledge level is also thanked with your name in Extra Large on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the new Bears Ears Education Center, the warm fuzzies of building something real and a shareable digital supporter card.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

16 x 20 Photo Print + XXL Name

For a pledge of $2500, you will receive a beautiful 16 x 20 print of an image from Bears Ears by a professional photographer. You will have a choice from a number of images and we will send you the print with our eternal thanks. This pledge level is also thanked with your name in XXL print on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the new Bears Ears Education Center, the warm fuzzies of building something real and a shareable digital supporter card.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

24 x 36 Photo Print + Name

For a pledge of $5000, you will receive a beautiful 24 x 36 print of an image on from Bears Ears by a professional photographer. You will have a choice from a number of images and we will send you the print with our eternal thanks. This pledge level is also thanked with your name in Even Bigger Then XXL on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the new Bears Ears Education Center, the warm fuzzies of building something real and a shareable digital supporter card.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 10,000
About US$ 10,000

Secret Bears Ears Hike with Josh Ewing

For a pledge of $10,000, you will receive a guided hike with Josh Ewing — someone who knows the secrets of Bears Ears. Trust us. We have done it. This pledge level is also thanked with your name in Even Bigger Then XXL size on the Donor’s Wall of Honor in the Education Center, a beautiful 24 x 36 print of an image on canvas, the warm fuzzies of building something real and a shareable digital supporter card.